The present invention relates to vehicle washing apparatus in general, and, in particular, to an improved vehicle washing apparatus which is especially adapted for use where the length available for the apparatus is limited and which needs but two brushes to scrub all the vertical surfaces of a vehicle.
Vehicle washing by automated or semi-automated machinery is popular because of time saved and, in fleet operations, economy. Vehicle washing apparatus vary in complexity and in quality of end result. The simple side is exemplified by a coin-operated hose having a spray gun which dispenses a high pressure water and detergent mixture at the direction of its user. On the complex side are elaborate systems employing agitating brushes and mittens for contacting the exposed surfaces of a vehicle, automatic sprayers for dispensing washing solutions and rinses, and dryers. The systems employing brush agitation remove films normally left with the simple spray type apparatus.
Brush systems also vary in their complexity. Some of these systems employ two sets of two brushes, with each set servicing an opposite half of the lateral surfaces of a vehicle. Thus one set scrubs the right front, right side and right rear of a vehicle and the other set scrubs the corresponding left surfaces.
There are brush systems where a brush set on one side of the path of a vehicle brushes the front, back and one side of the vehicle, while another brush or brush set brushes only the remaining side of the vehicle.
An example of a brush system employing two sets of two brushes, with each set of brushes acting primarily on only one side of a vehicle, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,523,320 to R. D. Williams. Each brush set in the Williams system employs two brushes coordinated together by a tension spring, which tends to close the brushes.
In many applications, however, there simply is not enough room to accommodate the straight path of a vehicle through a washing system employing a set of two brushes for one side of a vehicle. This is especially true when the washing facility requires attendant apparatus to mit and dry.
For ease of assembly on location at a vehicle washing site a vehicle washing mechanism must be basically simple. For ease of adaptability, the system itself must readily accommodate different environments. Additionally, the system must be rugged to withstand the constant jarring associated with vehicle traffic through the system and occasional abuse by a vehicle passing through the facility, the latter being a problem especially where the vehicle is driven through the system by a customer.